CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy signed midfielder
Eddie Lewis on Thursday, a day after Lewis played for the U.S.
national team in a 1-0 victory at Guatemala in a World Cup
qualifier.

To make room for the 34-year-old Lewis on their 18-man senior
roster, the Galaxy traded forward Carlos Ruiz to Toronto FC for
first and second-round selections in next year's MLS supplemental
draft and salary budget considerations.

"I strongly believe that Eddie Lewis will be an outstanding
addition to the Galaxy," Bruce Arena, the new general manager and
coach of the Galaxy, said in a statement. "He brings great
experience to the club and will be a wonderful addition to our
locker room and is a player that the fans are sure to support.

"Unfortunately, the sport of soccer is also a business and in
order to bring Eddie to the Galaxy, we were required to make salary
budget space available, and our only available option was to move
Carlos."

The Galaxy held the top spot in the MLS allocation table, and
used that position to acquire Lewis. Contract terms weren't
disclosed.

A veteran left-sided player with both MLS and European playing
experience, Lewis joins the Galaxy following a one-year stay with
Derby County of the English Premier League. After playing four
years at UCLA, Lewis began his career with San Jose of MLS in 1996,
playing there for four seasons. He later played with Fulham,
Preston North End and Leeds United in England.

Lewis played for the national team in both the 2002 and 2006
World Cups. He has 10 goals and 16 assists in 81 matches with the
national team.

Ruiz, who captained the Guatemalan national team Wednesday night
in its loss to the U.S., appeared in 10 games for the Galaxy this
season with one goal. He missed nearly two months after undergoing
surgery on his right knee in April.

The second-leading scorer in franchise history, Ruiz returned to
the Galaxy, his first MLS team, in January after spending three
seasons with FC Dallas. He had 62 goals in 93 regular-season and
postseason games with the Galaxy, which was scheduled to play its
first match under Arena on Thursday night against the Chicago Fire
at the Home Depot Center.